SWAG #13 – annoucing tickets

SWAG Meet #13
Saturday,17th September
Tickets on Sale Sunday 31st July

Following the success of our recent annual Workbench event we are pleased to announce that tickets for SWAG meet #13 will go on sale at 8:00pm tomorrow; Sunday 31st July.

Ticket are priced at £10 for adults. Children (under 18s) are free but must be accompanied by a fee paying adult. If you are bringing children please book them in using the booking form. You will not be charged for them, but it’s vital we know numbers for venue capacity limitations and food/drink ordering.

Tickets will be available to purchase from this website

Event Sponsor

The SWAG Meet #13 is sponsored by Retro Games Ltd, creators of the A500 Mini.

The Venue and Parking

The event runs from 10:00am – 10:00pm and is held at Dodington Parish Hall, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol, BS37 6JZ.

Dodington Parish Hall has ample on-site parking. If you arrive early enough you’ll be able to park in the small car park right outside the hall. If that car park is full there are spaces to the right as soon as you come through the main gates. Should that car park also be full you can find further parking behind the hall. If you’re parked behind the hall and need to bring equipment through we can open a side door for you.

We are the only people using the site on the day, so parking should not be an issue.

Entering the Hall

Once you enter the hall please find either Dave Rowland or Rob Hazelby. They will hand you your name badge and will also show you where your table’s located if you’ve ordered a table ticket. If you have any questions on the day please come and speak to either of them.

What Does Your Ticket Price Cover?

Your ticket prices covers your contribution to the hire of the venue, (thank you!) a buffet lunch which is served around noon, plus tea, coffee, soft drinks, crisps and chocolate biscuits.

The drinks and biscuits are in the kitchen. Please help yourselves!

As the event runs until 10:00pm, you may want a bite to eat if you’re staying for the evening leg. Firat’s takeaway is a mere 2 minute walk from the venue and serves pizza, kebab, burgers, chips etc. Any member of the SWAG team can give you directions.

Event Schedule

  • 10:00 – Doors Open / Set-up
  • 21:00 – The Pack-up Begins
  • 22:00 – Doors close – See you all later in 2023

We will also have a games tournament running throughout the day, kindly organised by SWAG’s games guru Gil Ashby. There may even be a prize for the winner. Gil is still deciding on what game will be featuring in the tournament. We’ll let you know once it’s confirmed.

The SWAG Mega Auction

Those of you who attended our Workbench event may recall SWAG’s Dave Rowland briefly mentioning the following…

Several months ago, a very kind gentleman contacted us with details of an absolutely massive bundle of Amiga equipment and accompanying software. This kit was previously used as part of a printing business and hadn’t been used for some time. The owner now wanted to give it away.

The SWAG team visited the chap’s house and we were bowled over by the amount of kit being offered. Being the nice people we are we couldn’t simply take everything without giving something in return, and so it was agreed that whatever monies were made from the sale of the items a quarter would distributed to the owner while the remaining amount would go into SWAG funds to purchase equipment and help run future events.

There is so much hardware and software for us to go through, but the plan is for us to auction the items via the SWAG web site and make it only available to meet attendees.

To make things fair, there are a few rules for these auctions:

1. To be able to take part, you must have attended a SWAG meet in the last 3 years. (We do have records we can check)
2. We ask that you don’t buy to sell on immediately. These are auctions for those who want to put the items to use and/or add to their collections, not to make a quick buck.
3. The auctions will finish just before the next meet. This means that payment can be made prior to the meet but pickup is only possible at the next SWAG meet in late Jan / early Feb 2023 (which you’ll need a ticket for).

Everyone who purchases a ticket to the September meet will receive a separate email from Dave Rowland verifying you have been to a previous SWAG event and that you are allowed to bid on any of the items.

Amiga Repairs

Do you have any Amiga currently giving you problems? If so, Derek and Zeb will be on hand to repair your system.

Note that while repairs are free (unless you require replacement parts), we do run a tip jar scheme where you can tip the dynamic duo as a way of saying thank you for their efforts.

Derek and Zeb get booked-up very quickly at each event. If you have something requiring attention make sure you see them as early in the day as possible to get your repair booked in!

The Buy and Sell Table is Back!

Absent from the Workbench 2022 event due to limited space, the Buy and Sell table is back for our September meet.

If you have anything retro gaming / computer related you want to sell just pick up a form on the day, scribble the price and your contact details down and place it under the item you wish to sell. Should a fellow attendee wish to buy what you’re selling they can find you and you can sort out payment between yourselves.

Previous events have seen games, Amiga cases, boxed complete set-ups and much more for sale. Here’s a chance to bag yourself a bargain and not have to pay for any postage!

Keeping the Venue Tidy

We have to be out of the venue by 10:00pm, so the big clean-up starts around 9:00pm. If you’re able to stay and help put tables away and tidy the hall and kitchen we would really appreciate any and all help.

In the kitchen we’ll have separate sacks set out for general rubbish, cans, card and plastics. Please, please, please do try and sort your rubbish our when you’re disposing of it during the day. The Parish Council will not take our rubbish as they get charged for it. We have to take ALL our rubbish with us. If you can help us by sorting it as you’re disposing it this will be a massive help when we come to do the big clean up at the end.

Thank you!

Safe Journey

We have our biggest Workbench meeting tomorrow and should be something quite amazing, please stay safe and if you cannot travel or have symptoms then please stay away, let me know.  Parking, yes we do have ample parking but we do ask if you’re a spectator (seat) ticket then please consider driving behind the Hall, try and keep the front parking slots available for the Table tickets.  So far, I have had very few pull outs, so there are no Spare tables at the moment.  On entry, come and see me and collect your badge, it will just be a sticker this time and that will help you socialise and help me keep an eye on those sneaking in, please wear it or I will keep asking you who you are.

You will all be entered into the raffle once, some of you have been fantastic and ordered up additional raffle tickets. Please keep doing so, we also have help tomorrow to try and sell some more.   These are the prizes offered by the Museum of Computing in Swindon, Keith has an interesting sense of humour, he has some explaining to do !

Donations to the Raffle from the Museum of Computing

One of the most asked questions I get is, what’s’ the postcode for sat-nav.  We will see you there.

Dodington Parish Hall
Finch Road
Chipping Sodbury
South Gloucestershire
BS37 6JZ

WORKBENCH 2022 – Book your tickets

Please be aware that there is a price did increase to £10 per person, CHILDREN ARE FREE but we need to know about them, so please put in the notes their name/age. The cost increases was to cover mostly Covid related supplies and any venue / food and drink prices increases, we will be following current government and council guidelines regarding the use of the venue. The booking system is limited to book a maximum of four people and please put their Full names in the NOTES section.

Please be aware that there is filming that does go on at our meets, we have been part of DVD documentaries, YouTube and Twitch channels which helps increase our exposure. Please let a SWAG team member know if you have a problem with this.

The Workbench event is primarlly focused on Amiga equipment, space is a premium so we wish to focus on the Amiga related activities.

For anyone booking a hotel, we suggest the Premiere Inn Bristol East (Emersons Green)

Food is a little different this time, we suggest putting in the notes any food allergies you may have, we are having catering done instead of the usual sandwiches.

After booking, sometimes the emails get caught up with spam filters, we sometimes have to force them thru. Make sure you complete PAYPAL and let it return to the website.

Your ticket purchase will enable you ONE entry into the Raffle, if you put additional names in the NOTES section, they will be added to the Raffle.

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